Variable angle tube holder

ABSTRACT

A VARIABLE ANGLE TUBE HOLDER TO ENABLE LABORATORY PERSONNEL TO MAKE AGAR SLANTS AT ANY ANGLE FROM THE HORIZONTAL TO THE VERTICAL.

March 14, D JESSUP VARIABLE ANGLE TUBE HOLDER Filed Nov.

FIG. 1

FIG. 2

INVENTOR ARTIE D. JESSUP Maw.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,649,462 VARIABLE ANGLE TUBE HOLDER Artie D. Jessup, Hampton, Va., assiguor to the United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Filed Nov. 5, 1969, Ser. No. 874,177 Int. Cl. C12k 1/10 US. Cl. 195-127 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A variable angle tube holder to enable laboratory personnel to make agar slants at any angle from the horizontal to the vertical.

ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION This invention was made by an employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

SPECIFICATION In bacteriological laboratories it is common practice to culture bacteria on agar or other media slants in a test tube. These test tubes are partially filled with the agar or other media and placed in an autoclave or suitable oven for sterilization and then placed in a refrigerator at an angle for the media to solidify prior to inoculating with the bacteria. The angular position causes the media to solidify with an angular surface to thereby increase the usable surface area of the media. The particular angle at which the media is solidified may vary for different cultures and for that reason it is desirable that a suitable rack be provided during cooling of the sterile media that will produce different angular slants of the media. There is a commercially available rack for test tubes that is variable between 5 and 11 to the horizon but this rack is not suitable for autoclaving of the tubes and the tubes cannot be filled with agar while in this rack. There is thus a definite need in the art for a rack that may be varied from the vertical to the horizontal that will permit a number of test tubes to be filled with culture media, autoclaved and cooled to solidifying temperature with a minimum of handling of the tubes. The present invention fulfills this need.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a test tube holder that permits varying the tube angle from 0 to 90 with respect to the vertical.

Another object of the present invention is a variable angle test tube holder that permits positioning of a plurality of test tubes in a vertical position to facilitate filling of the tubes with culture media, and sterilization, and permits any desired angular positioning of the filled tubes during cooling.

Another object of the present invention is a test tube holder that can be used for filling the tubes with a culture media, holding the tubes during sterilization, and angular positioning the sterile tubes at any desired angle from 0 to 90 with respect to the vertical for cooling of the sterile media.

According to the present invention the foregoing and other objects are attained by providing a frame member including two vertical ends and at least one horizontal member secured to and maintaining the vertical ends in fixed spaced relationship. A test tube rack, capable of holding a plurality of test tubes, is suspended between the two ends of the frame in pivotal relationship therewith by an axle extending from the rack through each end member. A suitable thumb screw is provided on at least Patented Mar. 14, I972 one of the end members so as to engage the axle and hold the test tube rack at any desired angle between 0 and with respect to the vertical end of the frame. Thus, the test tubes may be placed vertically in the tube holder for filling thereof with culture media and for sterilization. For cooling, the test tube rack may be placed at any desired angle to produce the slants desired.

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of attendant advantages thereof will be better understood as the same becomes more apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of the variable angle tube holder of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged part end view of the variable angle tube holder shown in FIG. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the variable angle tube holder of the present invention, as designated generally by reference numeral 10. Tube holder 10 includes a frame composed of a pair of vertical end members 11 and 13 maintained in fixed spaced relationship by a pair of horizontal braces 15 and 17 rigidly secured thereto. A test tube rack 18, capable of holding a plurality of test tubes 19 in openings 20, formed therein, is pivotally secured to end members 11 and 13 by axles 21 and 23. Each of end members 11 and 13 is provided with a transverse tubular receptacle, designated respectively by reference numerals 25 and 27, and disposed about a suitable opening in the end members 11 and 13. Axles 21 and 23 are fixedly attached to rack 18 and rotatably received by and extend through receptacles 25 and 27. A suitable thumb screw, designated by reference numeral 29, extends through receptable 25 and serves to lock axle 21 and the attached rack 18 at the desired angular position. An identical thumb screw 31 extends through receptacle 27 to engage axle 23 and also assist in locking rack 18 in the desired angular position.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it is seen that end member 11 and the end of receptacle 25 are provided with indicia. thereon, as designated generally by reference numeral 33 to indicate different angular positions for rack 18. A suitable pointer 35 is formed on the end of axle 21 to point to the angle that rack 18 is disposed with respect to the vertical end 11. End member 13, receptacle 27 and axle 23 are also provided with indicia and a pointer identical to that described for end 11 and not shown in the interest of brevity.

OPERATION The operation of the invention is now believed apparent. Initially, tube holder 10 is positioned as shown in the drawings with thumb screws 29 and 31 serving to lock rack 18 in the vertical position shown. The desired number of test tubes 19 are then placed in openings 20 in rack 18, filled with the desired culture media, and the entire holder assembly 10 placed in a suitable oven or autoclave for sterilization. After sterilizing, holder 10 is removed from the oven, thumb screws 29 and 31 loosened and rack 18 and attached axles 21 and 23 rotated to hte desired angular position as indicated by indicia 33. Thumb screws 29 and 31 are then tightened to hold rack 18 at the selected angle and holder 10 and its contents are placed in a refrigerator to cool the culture media. After cooling, the culture media solidifies to thereby provide media slants on an angle corresponding to the angle at which rack 18 was placed for cooling.

It is thus seen that the present invention provides a test tube holder that permits filling, sterilization and cooling of culture media slants for any angle desired between 0 and 90 with respect to the vertical and in which handling of the test tubes by laboratory personnel is minimized. No

specific materials have been mentioned for forming the tube holder of the present invention, it being understood that any material capable of withstanding the sterilization temperature is considered within the scope of the present invention. Additionally, rack 18 may be formed of a welded wire mesh if so desired, braces 15 and 17 may be in one unitary piece and the described indicia may be located only on one end of holder and may take a different form from that shown in the illustrative example. These and other modifications and variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the above teachings.

It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A variable angle tube holder adapted to receive a plurality of test tubes in a vertical position to facilitate filling of the test tubes with culture media and thereafter tilting said plurality of test tubes at any angle from 0 to 90 for subsequent sterilization, cooling and culturing the filled test tubes with a minimum of handling, comprising:

(1) a frame member including (a) two vertical end members and (b) at least one horizontal member secured to and maintaining said two end members in fixed spaced relationship,

(2) a rack supported by said frame member and including means in said rack for receiving a plurality of test tubes or the like,

(3) means securing said rack to said frame in pivotal relationship therewith,

(4) means for locking said rack at any angle from 0 to with respect to the vertical end members of said frame,

:(5) indicia on at least one of said end members and a pointer on said means securing said rack to said frame to point to the indicia indicating the angular relationship of said rack respective to said vertical end member, and,

(6) said tube holder being constructed of a lightweight material capable of withstanding sterilization temperatures when said holder and filled tubes are placed in a sterilization oven.

2. The variable angular tube holder of claim 1 wherein said means for securing said rack to said frame includes an identical opening in each of said end members with a fixed tubular receptacle secured in each said opening and an axle member secured to each end of said rack and rotatably received by each said tubular receptacle and said means for locking said rack includes a thumbscrew extending through at least one of said tubular receptacles so as to engage and impede rotation of said axles when said thumbscrew is tightened and to permit free rotation of said axles and attached rack when said thumbscrew is loosened.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,109,084 10/1963 Walsh 211-74 LIONEL M. SHAPIRO, Primary Examiner W. A. SIMONS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

